What happened before the Argo II
by shadowhunterofathena
Summary: This is a series of one shots about what happened at Camp Halfblood after The Lost Hero but before all the Greeks showed up at Camp Jupiter. It involves a lot of sweet friendships, and talks about a lot of emotional struggles the characters went through. I know a few ideas may be overused, but I hope you enjoy them anyway! (Rating just to be safe) I don't own any characters. (:


Piper was out looking for Annabeth. It had been a month since she'd first came to Camp Halfblood but she still felt overwhelmed occasionally, and she needed a friend. She checked Cabin 6, but she wasn't there. Piper continued to look around camp, everywhere from the strawberry fields to the dining hall. She asked around, but no one had seen the blonde haired girl. Piper sighed, _Where on Earth could she be? _

Piper then had a thought. She walked back to the cabins, and tentatively stepped into the Poisedon one. "Um, Annabeth?" She said. "Are you in here?" The cabin was small, and she didn't see anyone, but honestly Piper was desperate. She kept talking, "Um, hello?" _Great I'm talking to air. _She was just about to leave when she heard a stifled sob.

Piper looked over her shoulder to the bed where the sound came from. "What?" Then she remembered something. _Annabeth has an invisibility cap! _She tiptoed over to the bed and swatted at the air. Sure enough, her hand collided with the invisible baseball cap and exposed an annoyed looking girl with striking gray eyes.

"Hey! What was that for!?" She grumbled.

"Well I was looking everywhere for you! I needed to talk to a friend, but," Piper's tone softened, "it looks like you need a friend to talk to more."

Annabeth's eyes were puffy and red, like she'd just been crying. She had a piece of paper in her hand. She quickly shoved it into her pocket and wiped her eyes. Piper caught just enough of a glimpse of it to tell it was a photo.

"I'm fine." She replied.

"Annabeth, you don't look fine to me." Piper did her best to sound comforting and sincere, and made sure not to include any charmspeak. Her friend didn't need convincing, just support. "Maybe talking about it will make you feel better. Or just talking about anything. But sitting here crying isn't gonna help."

Annabeth got a defensive look on her face. "I was NOT crying."

Piper raised her eyebrows. Annabeth was the toughest person she knew, and she needed to learn that showing her emotions didn't change that.

Annabeth's boyfriend, (and childhood best friend) had just disappeared a month ago. It was some sort of horrid trade, and when he was taken, Piper's boyfriend appeared. While Piper appreciated having Jason around, she hated seeing Annabeth this way. Piper had never met Annabeth's boyfriend Percy, but she had heard a lot about him. He was like famous at camp. You could hardly get through a day without SOMEONE bringing up the hero and his friends that saved Olympus.

Piper sat down on the bed by Annabeth. She took her friends hands and looked her straight in the eye. "Just…tell me something. Anything, about him, or memories, just talk. It'll help, I promise." Annabeth sighed and leaned back into her pillow.

"Ok, fine. Well, I met Percy when I was twelve. He had arrived at camp unconscious, having just defeated a minotaur, for Hades sake! He didn't even know demigods were a thing at this point, and he was killing a MINOTAUR! I remember being so jealous. I hadn't been out of camp or done anything exciting for years, and this annoying kid shows up and doesn't even realize what is going on and kills a monster. Anyway, he eventually woke up. He exploded some toilets, and then got claimed during-"

Piper laughed, "Wait, WHAT?! He blew up toilets?"

Annabeth nodded, and continued to elaborate the endeavor to her. As they were talking, Annabeth's eyes lit up. It was like she was forgetting he was missing, and just reliving good memories of the past. It was a sort of wistful happiness, but Piper definitely liked bittersweet Annabeth more than tightly-wound, solemn Annabeth.

The girls continued to chat. Piper listened intently as Annabeth told her stories. Piper could practically just see the weight being lifted off her shoulders. Annabeth obviously wasn't ok, but she was a lot better.

When they finished talking the two girls hugged, and Annabeth whispered a quiet "thank you" into Piper's ear. That was the moment when Piper knew that she was truly close with Annabeth. She didn't confide in just anyone.

After that, the girls got together once a week, in Percy's cabin, to just talk. It was like their mini therapy sessions. Piper found out that Annabeth had also been going to Sally, Percy's mom, for support too. She was happy her friend found someone else that knew what she was going through.

Piper knew that Annabeth wouldn't be really complete until Percy came back, but day by day, she saw her ever-strong friend slowly start to heal. By the time they left onto the quest, Annabeth was really ready to try to find him, and to do it without feeling like she had to carry the burden herself.


End file.
